


Muhudel

by thorinsaplusparenting (ibreathethroughwords)



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Arranged Marriages, Artistic License, Assassination attempts, BAMF + baby, Dwarf Culture, Fluff, I do what I want, I made up dwarf rituals, I've created a monster, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Post BoFA, Soulmates, accidental child endangerment, all guys here too, gratuitous use of dwarf magic, i made up a baby too, i went there, no lady bits, non-graphic ritual piercings, not related to my other stories, on Nori's part, pierced dwarves, wait almost no lady bits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-20
Updated: 2013-03-25
Packaged: 2017-12-05 21:04:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibreathethroughwords/pseuds/thorinsaplusparenting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was on the kink meme and then I saw a prompt and I didn't keep a close enough eye on my fingers and then they did this.</p><p>1. In which someone is old, not dead, and a baby happens to Dori.<br/>2. The baby is blessed/named, Ori angsts, Nori is a good big brother.<br/>3. Nori is a BAMF while babysitting Arri. Excitement, adventure, and quite a bit of fluff.<br/>4. Ori becomes an adult, Thorin and Bofur get nostalgic, then drunk.<br/>5. Thorin and Bofur find their Ones. Continued from chapter 4.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 'Agâni: The Beginning

A heavy weight settled in his stomach as Oín confirmed what Dori had suspected for a few weeks now: he was with child. If only the new discovery had managed to shock the nausea out of him. Oín handed him a towel and a glass of water to clean his face and rinse out his mouth when he finished, and Dori sat down with a heavy sigh. He had been so careful too, daily brewing tea made to prevent this sort of thing from happening, as had been his habit since he had come of age so long ago. Perhaps he had gone too long without having it, or maybe it was that he hadn't waited long enough once he could brew it again to celebrate the success of the quest with various members of the Company. 

Well, there had also been the odd soldier or two (or four) from Dain's army.

And there had been those two of Bard's men (that had been fun. Dori hadn't been properly spit-roasted in ages).

The father could be any of twelve, he realized glumly as Oín carried on with his examination. Mahal could have seen fit to bless him with carrying an heir for Thorin and neither of them would never, ever know. Without a known father to hold responsible, Dori was right back to being a single parent. Money wasn't a concern, at least, but he would have to give up any dreams of opening a tea shop until the young lad or lass was older and wouldn't be taking up so much of his time.

"You and the baby are in excellent health," Oín declared. He rested a hand on Dori's shoulder and paused to take in the look on his face. "It's not so bad, is it? Surely the father will be delighted to hear it!"

It was an attempt to pry. The rest of Company knew of his habit of sharing his bed with whomever he could lure home for a few hours of pleasure, and all had been hoping he might settle down now that Erebor was theirs. Oín clearly wanted to know if that was the case, and if so, who? 

Well, it wasn't going to work. Dori just gave him a tight-lipped smile and stood to leave. "I'm sure he will be," Dori agreed, and slipped out the door before he could be further questioned. He had work to get back to, after all. The crews, equipment, and supplies needed for rebuilding wouldn't organize themselves.

\---

It was precisely because of this sort of reaction that Dori had desperately tried to keep his pregnancy a secret. Everyone he had daily contact with knew he was more irritable than normal, felt ill quite often, and didn't want to be touched. He was desperately horny, wanted all sorts of strange foods, and his skin looked positively atrocious. It shouldn't have been a surprise that Nori recognized Dori's symptoms as matching the ones their Ma had gone through with Ori, but it was. What wasn't a surprise was that Nori chose to bring it up in front of Ori.

At dinner, of all times, where Dori's own rules forbid him from an easy escape.

"So..." Nori began. His tone was cautious and neutral, free of judgement. "How far are you?" 

Dori's spoon was halfway to his mouth when he dropped it back in the bowl and gave Nori a Look. "I haven't the faintest idea of what you're asking," he responded coolly. His tone suggested Nori drop it.

Nori had never been good at listening to Dori.

Ori sat down his own spoon and looked between his older siblings. "Huh?" he asked. 

"It's nothing, dear heart," Dori said.

"I think he's pregnant," Nori said at the same moment.

The older two brothers looked at each other, Nori's expression schooled into innocence and Dori's expression threatening a very painful death. 

"Oh," said Ori, as he silently let the thought of that digest. Try to hide it though Dori might, Ori was well aware of his eldest brother's... proclivities. "Are you?"

The youngest gave Dori his most innocent, wide-eyed look. His brothers were terrible at denying him anything when he pulled it on them, and he really hoped Dori wasn't too mad to resist it now.

Dori tried to resist it, but failed miserably. He sighed. "Yes, fine, you're going to be uncles, are you happy now?" he groused at them.

If the looks of joy on their faces were anything to go by, the answer was quite obviously yes, yes they were, thank you very much. Ori squealed and got up to wrap Dori in big hug, and Nori laughed with joy and gathered them both in his arms. "Brother, I didn't know you had it in you! I mean, I didn't know you literally had anything in you at all, ever..." Which was obviously a lie, because everybody knew Dori liked sex, and a lot of it. Dori swatted him.

"It's none of your business, Nori."

The Spymaster of Erebor grinned at his big brother and kissed his forehead. "Everything that happens in Erebor is my business now, Dori! Who's the lucky father-to-be, eh? I'd like to buy him a pint or ten for making uncles out of Ori and I."

Dori's tone went from threatening to flat-out promising his murder. "It's none of your business!"

"But-!" Ori tried to cut in.

"None!"

"Why can't I be with Fili but you get to be with... whoever the father is? That's not fair!" Ori was an adult now too! Just because they didn't yet have the proper sacred space cleared of rubble and dragon dung to conduct his coming-of-age ceremony didn't mean he wasn't old enough to make his own choices.

Dori pulled away from them both, grateful that Ori had just unwittingly given him a way to change the topic. "Ori, I've told you repeatedly not to bring that up again until you're legally an adult!"

"But I'm more than old enough, Dori!" Ori huffed and glared, a look which turned on Nori as he murmured something about how cute Ori was, riled up like an angry little kitten. 

Nori patted Ori's head to calm him, a trick which usually worked rather well. "Aye, but you're not a legal adult until you've passed through the fire and become an adult before Mahal. You'll get Fili in trouble, lad, if you aren't patient." Nori shrugged. "Of course, a _real_ adult would be patient without having to be told."

Ori huffed, but didn't argue anymore, out of fear of proving Nori's point for him (something Dori had taught him never, ever to do). He turned instead to go back to questioning Dori, but the eldest was nowhere to be seen.

"When did he learn to vanish like that?" Ori asked.

"I have no idea," murmured Nori, quite impressed with Dori's quick distraction and silent escape.

\---

There were few safe places in the city Dori could go to be alone, and he headed to the closest one, needing to clear his head. While it was possible that none of the Company would have an issue with him raising a child on his own, this sort of thing was looked down upon by most dwarrows, who only loved once and were loyal to that love to the last breath. Raising a child alone was tolerated only under the most grave of circumstances, such as their mother passing while giving birth to Ori, or losing one's spouse. Bearing males and women sleeping around as Dori did was an act that was frowned upon, even more so when children came about as a result. It was much less risky to have two incomes, two working parents, two bodies to do the hard tasks together. It was why their mother had held such a poor rank in society and could never get a good paying job. It was a good deal of the reason he had struggled to keep just Ori well-fed and clothed for a very long time.

Dori was terrified he would be seen as bringing shame on Thorin and his friends, and he did not want to have to have to bear the distaste and comments of others until he had no choice and could no longer hide his condition. Dori knew his dear brothers would not care, that they would love him and the babe no matter what, but he did not wish to make their lives more difficult because of his poor judgement in timing with regards to his sexual needs and the tea that was supposed to prevent this whole mess. 

He rested his face in his hands and took a deep breath. How was he even supposed to do this a second time? Dori didn't want to be a single parent again, but he couldn't think of anyone who would have him like this. It was likely that Ori would help a little, he supposed, but was he going to lose Nori again like he had when their mother had died and they had an infant to care for in her place? Dori knew Ori had always blamed himself for that, though it wasn't his fault, and he didn't want this child growing up with the same guilt if Nori fled again.

A tear slid down his cheek at the thought and he angrily wiped it away, unwilling to cry where anybody could see him. Raising Ori had been so hard, and while Dori remembered the good things, the bad were also hard to forget.

There was the sound of boot scuffing against stone, and then he felt the warmth of Nori's hand on his shoulder. "Come back to the house," he urged. "Me and Ori want to talk to you about this."

If nothing else, now was as good a time as any to impress upon them the need for secrecy. Dori nodded and let Nori pull him to his feet.

\---

Nori and Ori promised their silence if he would just answer their questions, and Dori complied. He wasn't quite three months, he was tired and nauseous, how else was he supposed to feel? No, he didn't know which of the twelve possibilities the father was and no, Nori, he wasn't naming the likely candidates for him to sneak out and threaten and interrogate.

They respected his desire to keep the baby a secret for now, though Nori strongly urged him to tell the rest of the Company ("Oh, so I can be mothered by that lot? _No_ , Nori!"), and agreed to tell no one.

It turned out they needn't have bothered with promises, because the next day ended with Dori having to flee a Company dinner to go empty his stomach. Everyone turned to look at Oín, expecting him to go do something to deal with Dori's illness, but the way he sighed and shook his head caused many of the older members of the Company to raise their eyebrows and turn to Nori and Ori, who were staring at each other over the table, silently arguing who was going to go check on him this time. 

Nori slipped out the door, Ori hot on his heels, everyone else following close behind.

"You all right there, Dori?" Nori asked, wincing at the mess Dori had made in a basin. 

Neither of them had any way to know the whole of the company was just around the corner eavesdropping, Ori gagged and somewhat willingly pinned against Fili's chest to keep him from warning his brothers. "The baby doesn't like green food," he muttered in response. "Maybe it's on to something."

"The what?" Thorin asked calmly as he stepped around the corner. His sharp eyes took in the way Dori's hand rested over his stomach, remembered Dis's symptoms with Fili and Kili, and came to a conclusion. He ordered the others away before approaching to kneel in front of Dori.

"Thorin, I can explain-”

"Are you pregnant?" Thorin asked. His face and tone were perfectly neutral, in precisely the way Dori was sure they shouldn't be when one was asking this question of a friend: Thorin was clearly King at the moment, wishing an answer from a subject instead.

Dori knew better than to lie to his King. That was a lesson he had learned while trying to keep Nori's relationship to them a secret to protect Ori. He subserviently averted his eyes and bowed his head slightly. "Yes, my King," he answered.

"And who is the father?" It sounded to Dori like there was a bit of judgement in that tone. 

"That is none of your concern," he said, glaring at the floor and ignoring Nori's supportive hand on his shoulder.

The defensive answer seemed to surprise Thorin, for it took him a minute to reply. "It is if there's a chance that it is mine. Is there that chance?" Thorin stood with his hands clasped behind his back, carefully evaluating Dori as though looking for weaknesses.

Dori's non-answer might as well have been a yes. Thorin let the silence linger between them for a moment longer, then asked, "How many others?"

"Eleven," he whispered. Nori's hand tightened on his shoulder and he stepped closer.

"Eleven? Mahal, Dori..." he breathed.

In a perfect world, Dori thought that he wouldn't have to explain his actions. "I misjudged the timing. I thought I had been drinking the tea again for long enough. I thought it was okay to celebrate our victory in the usual way."

There was silence for a moment, and then Nori and Thorin both hard arms wrapped around him. "A blessing is a blessing, Dori," Thorin murmured to him. "Mahal has seen fit to give you a child to raise in better circumstances, and none would ever argue that you would be a poor recipient of this gift."

"Ori came out just fine, even though you had to do everything alone," Nori added, and Dori couldn't deny that he was pleased to hear some measure of guilt in his voice. "It won't be like that again. You've got a ton of help, and Ori and I aren't going anywhere."

"But the father-" Dori argues.

Thorin cut him off. "It doesn't matter. You've got twelve other dwarrows here ready to evict anyone from the mountain who thinks otherwise, and need I remind you that I own it? You will have more help than you could ever possibly use or want. The child is yours, and so it will belong to a most honorable and noble family."

Dori couldn't help the tears that flowed as he let himself be held. "Thank you," he murmured to them both.

\---

The next several months were both wonderful and torturous. Dori had a small army to help around the house (and to keep his body thoroughly satisfied). Those he had slept with tried to court him (and were subsequently interrogated and threatened by Nori and Thorin working in tandem, never mind that Thorin had done the same thing as they had), but Dori put off their advances, arguing that he really wasn't in any fit state to be courted until after the baby came. 

After three days of hard labor that left Dori barely conscious and struggling to push at the end, it was easy to determine that she had to come from one of Fundin's sons, if that mohawk was anything to go by. Thorin had been the first to notice it, as it was his right as King to hold the child first. Once he had calmed down from rejoicing over her gender and marveling with Dori over her fingers and toes and adorable peach fuzz, he took in her hair and chuckled. He was still laughing as he passed her off to Dori for her first feeding and entered the waiting area where he patted Balin and Dwalin on the shoulders with a twinkle in his eye.

"She has a warrior's crest," he announced to the gathered group, clearly amused at their expense as the brothers' jaws hit the floor. The rest of the group cheered at the news of a daughter, then fell to silence as their leader's words caught up to them. Thorin gestured for Nori and Ori to go on in, and they slipped back quickly, closing the door behind them to greet their new niece. "It's a bit hard to tell whose hair color she took after, but I'm certain Father said that you two were the only babes he ever saw born with it straight from the womb."

Both brothers sat down hard and stared at the other. Neither had ever expected to be uncles or fathers, and each of them obviously laid claim to one of those titles apiece. The rest of the Company watched the two in silence, curious to see who would claim the lass. Dwalin was likely already going to end up being the lass's uncle if his relationship with Nori got much more serious. It would be so weird if he were her father as well.

"I never finished inside him," Dwalin said after a moment. "Not recently enough for her to be mine, at least."

"Then I suppose you must be her uncle, brother, for I most certainly did, and several times at that."

Thorin glanced over at the younger ones still in the room. Kili's cheeks were flushed red, Fili's mouth hung open in shock at the utter smugness in Balin's tone. The older adults shared chuckles at the unexpected comment and patted Balin on the back in congratulations.

"You?" Kili asked. His tone was incredulous.

Balin turned to look at him and chuckled. "I'm old, laddie, not dead." Thorin thought his advisor looked entirely too pleased with himself. He gestured Balin toward the room, and the older dwarrow nodded and stood to enter, excusing himself from the conversation.

"Be glad it didn't turn out to be Dwalin's or Fili's," Thorin told Kili as he gave his hair an affectionate ruffling. "Then they would have been the father and an eventual uncle, assuming their Ones ever forgave them for getting Dori in the family way."

"Oh, thank goodness," muttered Kili.

Nori poked his head out of the room. "Are you lot coming in to welcome her or do you just plan to sit out here and gossip like housewives all morning?"

The rest of their rather large family stood and entered the birthing room, crowding around the bed to see Dori and the babe. Dori handed her to Balin when his arms grew weak, and he handed her to Dwalin to hold next. "Here is 'Agâni, daughter of Balin," Dori said. Though his voice was soft and weak from his exertions, it was full of love and pride. "We shall call her Arri in the presence of outsiders."

"Welcome, 'Agâni," Dwalin murmured, and kissed her forehead. They passed her around from dwarf to dwarf, each greeting the little one and pressing a kiss to her forehead before passing her on to the next male. Fili, Kili, and Ori were unsure how to hold a baby, but the other adults were familiar enough with handling infants that there was no trouble amongst the group in showing them what to do. Oín took her next to last, once the old magic that had made it possible for Dori to birth her had been properly dismissed, and passed her to Thorin to give the first blessing.

Once that was done, the group left Balin and Dori in peace with the babe and prepared the first of a week of feasts, a good deal of which Thorin had sent in to the new parents in the hopes of helping Dori regain his strength. There was much feasting and dancing that night, and all were in a merry mood.

The first child born to Erebor in nearly two centuries had been a girl. It was a sign of hope, of Mahal's blessing, and Thorin - all of them - would take it as such.


	2. Ghurf: The Altar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arri is blessed, Ori falls harder for Fili, and Nori does some royal ass-kicking.
> 
> I'm using 'aman here to just mean "one who gave birth" and not just mother.

The sacred space that Thorin had spent the entire night preparing and consecrating was one of the Royal Family's many private forges, this specific one traditionally used for rites, rituals, and the creating of sacred tools and objects. He and Gloin had gotten the forge cleaned, up, and running earlier in the week, but he had held off on consecrating the space again until the night before, so it was as pure and clean as possible for Arri. In preparation for conducting the blessing Thorin had fasted the two previous days, drinking only sacred water, and then only when his throat was too parched to continue speaking in meetings. The afternoon of the second day he had spent in the traditional meditation, first re-reading the words of the ritual from one of the tomes found in Thrors former chambers, then focusing his thoughts on what was to come and clearing his mind of the troubles of rebuilding and ruling a kingdom and dealing with such a large chosen family.

Before re-entering the forge, Thorin had taken a bath for cleansing in the sacred waters of the mountain, anointed himself with sacred oil (for none of their priests from the Blue Mountains had yet arrived, and so he had to do it himself), and dressed in the ritual clothing for purifying a forge of simple trousers, boots, and a thick leather apron. 

Thorin first repositioned the anvils in the room where they needed to be: the largest thankfully had never been moved from where it needed to be in the middle, and the other four were easy to move to the cardinal directions around it. Once sure that everything in the room and on the walls where positioned correctly, he lit sage and white candles on each anvil, going clockwise from the north, and ending with the center anvil that served as an altar. He then gathered his tools and started at the northern anvil.

In one hand he held a small anvil, just light enough to carry, and in the other he held a small hammer. Both had been forged from the same thick iron that made up the five larger anvils and their matching hammers. He circled the room clockwise seven times, beating the hammer rhythmically on the anvil as he chanted, ordering negative energy from the space and gathering the power to seal it out. When it was done, he closed the door to the room and knelt before the forge to bless a small, round hunk of moonstone. When Arri turned one, it would be Balin's duty to set it into jewelry of some sort. At the moment it fell to Thorin to bless it and make sure it was shaped correctly.

By the time that was done, Thorin was parched. He left the stone on the main altar, left the candles and sage burning, and went to the sacred water to drink and clean himself again before changing into a white tunic and breeches like the others would be wearing. In another hour the sun would begin its climb upward, and it would be time to bless the baby.

For Ori, Fili, and Kili, this was the first time that they had ever seen a naming ritual. When Gimli was born they had all been deemed to young to attend and had been kept at home with the friend of a friend who spent the morning telling them stories and helping them bake cookies.

This time around would be different; Dwalin had spent a good deal of yesterday instructing them on what they could expect and what would be expected of them. Ori thought that it all sounded rather simple and straightforward. Fili agreed, but Kili was nervous about it. When the younger of the princes mentioned it to Dwalin, he got a pat on the shoulder and a chuckle. "You'll be able to just follow what everyone else is doing, lad. You've not got much in the way of lines to remember."

Before the sun rose on the morning of the ceremony, Bofur woke and collected the three youngest members of the Company and took them down to a special bathing chamber. He and his brothers had already taken care of themselves, and they dunked, scrubbed, dried, and redressed the tired lads in white tunics and breeches. Their hair was dried and brushed, but left to hang loose. From there they were shepherded to the sacred forge Thorin had prepared and told where to stand in the circle. Ori pressed as close to Fili as he thought he could get away with, since he knew everyone else would be distracted. He smiled a little when Fili's hand brushed against the back of his and his body flushed with warmth. 

At the rituals Ori had experienced before an older male had stood at each of the four outer anvils to hammer them in time together. The hammering was used to raise power for whatever act was being performed, or for whatever was being requested from Mahal, or for showing thanks when it was due. This time, however, everyone stood inside the circle of anvils, and when Ori stepped into place he could feel the power that had already been gathered there, and wondered when and how it had happened. He made a mental note to ask Thorin or Bofur later. The rest of the company arrived, Thorin leading the new parents in, who were followed by the two Dori had chosen to be Arri's guardians. Thorin took his place in the center of the circle, facing the north anvil. In front of it stood Dori and Balin together, Nori next to Ori and to Dori's right and Dwalin to Balin's left. 

Thorin took a deep breath and began a low chant, one that felt powerful enough to Ori to take the place of the hammering. Arri hated loud noises, at least so far, so perhaps that was why there was none of the customary banging. As Thorin chanted, he lit the candles on the center anvil (which had to be as big as Ori! It was definitely bigger than others he had seen, and he wondered at the fine craftsmanship of it, and made another note to ask after its history). The other adults added their voices to the chant, but Fili and Kili stayed just as silent as Ori did. This was a call to Mahal they were not familiar with, something that felt familiar to them, but sounded so very new.

More power seemed to gather around them, and then the chanting abruptly ceased (how they knew to stop together, Ori had no clue), and Thorin stepped back one step from the altar as the power settled around them. "We gather today to celebrate new life. Let the fires of this sacred forge represent the spark of life given by Mahal within us all."

"Praise Mahal," came the somber echo from the others. 

Ori noticed that Thorin's hair was unbraided. He took a look around and saw that everyone's was loose. A glance to his left revealed that Nori's beautiful hair was free as well. This was new to Ori, who had never seen rituals so often completed with fire conducted without everyone's hair pulled out of the way. At least here the forge wasn't easy to fall into, set behind and a bit to Ori's left behind the north-facing anvil.

In the center of the circle, Thorin continued, "We gather today to bless a child, a new life that has become part of our kingdom, gifted to her parents by Mahal, the forger of all forgers, creator of all creators.”

"Thanks be to Mahal," the group echoed.

"In return for this most precious of blessings, we must give a worthy gift to this child. To give something a name is to give it power. To give a child a name is to give it the second-greatest set of gifts, the gift of power, of individuality, of identity." Thorin looked at Dori and Balin. "Will the parents present their child to its family?"

As one, Dori and Balin answered in the affirmative and stepped forward. The altar stood between them and Thorin, who reached down to pick up the prettiest moonstone Ori had ever seen. He held it between his thumb and index finger and continued. "From the stone sprang our lives, from the stone springs our livelihoods. Moonstone symbolizes a new beginning amongst our people, as well as the removal of obstacles from our path. It connects us to the rhythms of the earth and stone, as this child must learn to be connected to the earth, as the two of you must learn to be connected to her.

"In Mahal's name, I bless you, 'Aman, and you, 'Adad. May Mahal guide your decisions in rearing your child. May He watch over your home and family, and protect you all. May Mahal be a balm to you in stressful times, and bring joy to you in times of peace and plenty."

Thorin stepped around the anvil to stand before Dori, and touched the stone to his forehead. "Here is 'Aman, who gave birth to this child, and shall teach it, and guide it through the path Mahal forges for it. By the traditions of our people, it is your right to name this child. What have you chosen to be its true name, Dori, son of Narri?"

Ori thought Dori's voice was a lot steadier than his would have been with an unfamiliar ritual. He pressed his right hand a little more firmly against Fili's as Dori spoke.

"I have chosen 'Agâni."

Thorin smiled just slightly, and Ori caught site of it before it vanished. Seeing this side of Thorin was very strange to Ori. He knew King Thorin II Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror well, and was familiar with his moods. He knew Prince Thorin, leader of their people in exile just as well. Uncle Thorin, leader of their chosen family, was even becoming more familiar. That Thorin smiled on occasion, cracked jokes at the expense of others, enjoyed drinking with his companions, teaching the young boys, and didn't mind being climbed all over by tired dwarflings who wanted just one more story out of him before bed.

This Thorin though, this powerful, enchanting priest of Mahal, leading his chosen family in a ritual to welcome their newest member... this was something different. This was something that one day, Fili would be expected to be.

It was something to think about.

Despite Ori's very much wishing he could just stop time for a moment and analyze this all further, the ceremony continued on.

"Why have you chosen this name?" Thorin asked.

"Because she is a new beginning for me," Dori answered without hesitation.

The little smile returned again for a split second before it was banished from Thorin's face, and Ori thought that meant Thorin approved of the name. It was certainly the same smile he'd had whenever Fili managed to land a hit on him on sparring. 

Thorin nodded his head. "And what shall be her outer-name, for her to be remembered by our people?"

"Arri."

That, Ori remembered, didn't have to have an explanation behind it, because it wasn't what Mahal would know her as. At least, he thought that was the whole reasoning. There was so much he needed to ask about later.

Stone in hand, Thorin turned to Balin, and pressed it to his forehead. "Here is 'Adad, Balin, son of Fundin, who helped create this child, and will provide for and protect this little one and its 'Aman. Do you, 'Adad, agree with the chosen name?"

Unlike Thorin, Balin couldn't quite keep the smile off his face. "Aye," he said softly, and Ori didn't miss the loving look he shot Dori as he agreed to it.

If there was anything wrong with smiling, Thorin let it slide as he turned his attention to Dwalin and Nori standing at the north anvil. Ori turned his head to look up at his other big brother. "Who will stand beside these parents and support them in their effort?"

Nori gave Ori a brief smile and stepped forward with Dwalin to stand beside their respective brothers at the altar.

"You stand here, in Mahal's sacred forge, for the love of your family and of this child. Will you give your names before Mahal, that he will hold you to your sacred duty as Guardians?" Thorin asked.

It was odd to Ori to hear two people so often at odds with each other speak as one. "We are Dwalin, son of Fundin,nand Nori, son of Narri, chosen to be Guardians for this child. Before Mahal, we are-” Their voices dropped suddenly as they spoke their true names together. Ori knew Nori's, but couldn't hear Dwalin's. He thought it was romantic that they now trusted each other enough to share their true names.

Thorin touched the moonstone to their foreheads, first Nori's, then Dwalin's. "May Mahal guide your hands in aiding this child's parents and in helping to raise it. May He keep your blades sharp, should the need the come to defend your charges. May He hold you true to your oaths, and lend you His wisdom in fulfilling them."

"Praise Mahal," Nori and Dwalin said together.

With that done, Thorin took Arri from Dori and laid her upon the anvil and went to stand behind it. Ori was glad to see she was sleeping through it, because that did not look comfortable, not at all. Dori moved to Thorin's left, Balin to the right, Nori stayed in front on the north side, and Dwalin moved behind Thorin, facing Nori. Ori was really glad Dori and Nori would be unable to see it as Fili's fingers wrapped around his.

"In Mahal's name, at His altar and in His sacred space, I name this child 'Agâni, daughter of Balin, son of Fundin, of the Line of Durin, and daughter of Dori, son of Narri, of the Line of Ri." On the right side of the altar there was an iron bowl, and Thorin dipped his thumb into it. He placed his finger on Arri's head, and Ori thought it looked like he might have drawn a hammer, but it was hard to see with Nori partially in the way.

Thorin paused to swallow, throat clearly dry, before continuing. "Mahal, we ask you keep this child pure and perfect. Let her remain as close to Your heart as she is to ours. Let her stray not from your sight."

He dipped his thumb back into the bowl, and then placed his thumb on her bottom lip. 

This was something they all had to say together, and Ori was relieved that he remembered it as they all spoke as one. "Mahal grant you good fortune. Mahal grant you good health. Mahal grant you everlasting joy. May Mahal always keep love in your heart."

"Praise Mahal," intoned Thorin.

"Praise Mahal," came the echo.

Again his thumb dipped into the bowl, and this time he carefully shifted the blanket down enough to do something to her chest. Maybe a hammer again? Ori really wished he could see more clearly.

"You are known to Mahal and to us as ’Agâni. This is your name, and it gives you power. Bear your name with honor, and may Mahal bless you on this and every day."

Thorin swaddled Arri tightly again so she wouldn't wake and start screaming, picked up the deep cup sitting on the left of the altar, and took the baby to Ori. Ori swallowed nervously as he took his niece. The cup was pressed to his lips by Thorin, and he sipped at it before turning his attention to Arri. "Mahal's blessings be upon you, 'Agâni," Ori said, and bent to whisper his own wishes for her into her cute little ear. She definitely had Balin's ears, which suited her round little face very well.

"May you learn fast and learn well," he added softly, then turned to his right with a small smile to pass her to Fili. He repeated Ori's actions, drinking, repeating the blessing, and then whispering to her before handing her off to a very distressed-looking Kili. Fili had looked good holding her, Ori decided. Very, very good. Unlike Kili, who looked terrified of her, Fili held her with confidence.

Ori was surprised to find that was a rather attractive quality.

The rest of the Company continued the ritual, blessing her and then passing her on. When she got to last member of their chosen family, Thorin took her back from Bombur and brought her back to the altar to do the same himself before setting down the cup. He dipped his finger in that as well, and spread a droplet of it over her forehead below where he had anointed her with the hammer. Ori imagined that Dori was privately politely fussing at the oil and wine he was going to have to clean off of her later, but really, that wasn't as bad as what Arri had done to his favorite cardigan yesterday, or Nori's hair the day before that.

Thorin turned her in a slow circle so everyone could see her then, and introduced her again. "'Agâni, daughter of Balin, son of Fundin, and daughter of Dori, som of Narri, meet your family." There were quiet cheers then, and the power in the room broke, and suddenly they were all free to hug and talk and vie for the chance to hold the baby.

Dori reclaimed her from Thorin with a smile on his face, one that Ori had rarely seen in his lifetime. He knew it meant that right now, Dori was utterly at peace and not even thinking about how he might better rearrange the baby's room or the kitchen or what he needed to pick up at the market tomorrow. "You can all take turns holding her after the feast," he said, and at the mention of food, everyone began trickling out the door to go change. He and Fili managed to sneak in a quick brushing of their fingertips and a shared smile before Nori threw an arm around his shoulders and whisked him off to get changed for the evening.

\---

The new formal clothes that Dori had ordered for Ori didn't look the slightest bit comfortable. For one thing, absolutely none of it was knitted. It was all deep, rich velvets that looked way too heavy. There was no way any of it was going to look good on him, and he had no intentions of wearing it, but Nori was faster and stronger than him and didn't give Ori a choice. He managed to wrestle Ori into it with no trouble whatsoever. When he tugged Ori's jacket into place and belted it, Ori sulked. Nori didn't even have a hair out of place from the struggle, the show-off. A few more adjustments were made here and there, and then Nori stepped back to admire his handiwork. He whistled softly, the turned and paraded Ori out into the main room for Dori and Balin to see. 

Ori looked down at the floor, feeling rather ridiculous in too many layers of purple. 

Or at least he did until Balin spoke up. "You outdid yourself this time, Dori," he said. "He looks like a proper, handsome young dwarrow ought to."

"Though maybe about ten times better on the eyes," Nori added, clapping Ori's back before stepping over to the sofa to take Arri from Dori so he could get up easier.

"Really?" Ori asked, finally looking up at them. "It just feels so weird."

Dori gave him a happy smile as he bent to tug on his boots, and that made up Ori's mind for him as to whether or not it could stay on. If it would make Dori happy, then he would do it, just for tonight. "You'll be turning plenty of heads in that tonight, my dear. It's just the right color for you."

Maybe Fili would like it then. After all, if things got much more serious between them he was sure he would be expected to wear all manner of not-knitted attire... if ever he and Fili could convince their guardians to change their minds and agree. "Well, if you say so," he agreed hesitantly. Balin stood and patted his shoulder before heading off to grab a couple of burp cloths to take with them. It wouldn't do to cover any of the feast guests in baby vomit if they could help it. Ori miserably remembered his poor sweater and made a note to have the servants try giving it another wash later.

There was a knock at the door, and Nori shifted Arri into Ori's arms and went to go answer it. She still had the oil on her from the feast, painted on like a hammer. He was pleased to see he had been right about that. Thorin and Dwalin entered the sitting room with Nori. Dwalin looked handsome in the deep green of his tunic and jacket, embroidered with gold thread in a way that made Ori think of the seams of gold that ran through the mountain. Dwalin looked to have been crafted straight out of the same rock that made up the wall behind him (and if the way Nori was staring at Dwalin was anything to go by, his brother really liked the way the view looked from behind as well). Thorin's clothes were all varying shades of deep blues, threaded through with mithril and gold threads. He looked very kingly, but his posture was much more relaxed, his visage less stern. It looked like Uncle Thorin would be joining them that night instead of the King.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. 

Nori chuckled and amiably patted Thorin's back. "Starving, are you?"

"Famished, but for the absolute best of causes," he declared with a smile. His eyes lingered on Ori holding Arri. "I can remember when you were that small, Ori. You've grown up well. Your new clothes suit you."

Ori wondered if Nori had said something to them about his insecurities regarding the new clothes, but he blushed at the compliment all the same as he stuttered his thanks. Balin came back then from his hunt for more burp cloths, and Ori surrendered his niece to her father as they headed down to the feasting hall together.

\---

Dori had been a little _too_ right in choosing Ori's new clothes. Though small in numbers, the entire current population of the city had turned out for the feast, and it was a jovial affair. The members of the Company took turns holding her during the meal (Kili always sort of just quickly passing her along out of fear), and Ori had stuck close to them. Any time he strayed there were wolf-whistles, lewd comments, and hands trying to go where they shouldn't, even with the threat of Dwalin and Nori looming nearby. Ori stuck close to Fili at the table instead, enjoying watching him hold Arri and talk softly to her when she woke up during his turn. She didn't cry or fuss for him like she did whenever Kili had her, and Ori couldn't help but think he had the best One ever.

Not that anybody else knew they were still sneaking around behind Dori's back.

It was hard not to glow with pride when the others praised Fili to Thorin, stating that he would be a good father one day. 

It was very hard not to glower when various matches were proposed for his beloved.

When Thorin was drunk enough to start discussing the merits of those potential matches, Ori pretended he'd had too much to drink already and slipped from the table. The corridors were quiet as he headed back to their family apartments to hide in his rooms. It was foolish to think that just because he was now considered a proper warrior in his own right, a member of Thorin's Company, a master scribe, and Fili his One, that he would be permitted to wed the prince.

Princes were meant to marry royalty, after all, and Ori wasn't even proper nobility. They were only related to Durin, because some member of Durin's line, somewhere in the past, had knocked up their great-grandmother, who was most definitely not a noble.

Just because they were heroes didn't mean they could always get what they wanted, he reminded himself. It didn't mean they were more deserving than anybody else either. 

Abruptly, Ori changed direction. He didn't feel like heading home now, not where it would be so easy for someone to find him. Family would force him to confess what was bothering him, then remind him why his hopes were foolish. Dori would threaten to find someone else to marry him off to, if he wanted to be wedded that badly. They all thought he was still too young to know his own heart, but Ori knew better. He knew himself, and he knew what he wanted.

At least there would always be his craft. Ori wiped moisture from his eyes and headed in the general direction of the throne room.

Along the outer edge of Erebor, near to the throne room, was a small balcony, meant more for the Royal Family than anyone else. With everybody else occupied and zero fear of discovery, Ori ignored the guards on duty nearby and leaned against the rail. The full moon over what had been reconstructed of Dale was beautiful, and Ori watched the stars for a while. In any other mood, he knew he would be putting charcoal to paper and sketching the landscape. Tonight he couldn't be bothered.

The moon was nearly set and the sun on the rise by the time he came back inside. No one had come to look for him, and Ori wasn't surprised to find everyone asleep when he snuck back in. There didn't seem to be any point in going to sleep when Nori or Balin would be waking him for work within the hour, so Ori quietly changed, grabbed a thick piece of bread for breakfast, and went ahead down to the library for the day. He left a note for his family on his pillow on the off chance they worried over him, but since no one had come for him last night he wasn't that worried about being terrible missed or getting into trouble for it.

No one was there when he unlocked the doors to the large library and headed for his desk. The structure was sound now, all the previously existing books recorded and organized, but some had fallen into disrepair and were in need of either restoration or having new copies made to replace what was falling apart. He finished the last of his bread, wished he'd had the presence of mind to bring tea with him, and decided that he would just set straight to work on the tome he had been working on restoring yesterday.

Not having any interruptions until lunch time meant that Ori was able to make a good deal of progress with the volume he was working on, and by the time he realized he probably ought to go and eat something he was feeling much better emotionally. Ori still didn't want to go home though, and risk having to listen to Dori discuss whatever matches were being proposed for his beloved.

It turned out he didn't have to. Nori turned up with a swagger and a smile that smacked of self-satisfaction which meant he had probably spent the night with Dwalin doing all manner of unmentionable acts. "I brought you lunch," he said. "Figure you're probably hungry by now, eh?"

"Thanks," Ori said, and made room for Nori to sit with him if he wanted. 

The Spymaster perched on his desk, thankfully well-away from the half-restored tome, and handed Ori an apple as he leaned in to scrutinize his baby brother's face. "Want to talk about it?" he offered after a moment of studying him. "You left very early and nobody could find you, no matter where I directed them to look."

Ori snorted. So they had looked for him, and Nori had kept them looking in the wrong parts of the palace. "I could have used company, I think."

"You looked more like you really needed some time to think to me, though I get the feeling you probably spent most of the night torturing yourself over Fili." Nori raised an eyebrow and took a bite out of his apple. "Am I right?"

Nori knew he was, and Ori grumbled in reply and took a bite as well. "I'm not suitable for him to marry, Nori. I'm just a low-born scribe. It doesn't matter if.." Ori trailed off and looked away. He took another bite of his apple, but he suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

"Just a low-born scribe?" Nori asked incredulously. "Just a... Ori!" His tone was scolding. "You are _not_ 'just a low-born scribe'! By Mahal, what has gotten into you? You're the bravest out of all of us, probably the smartest, you definitely got 'aman's beauty. How many languages do you speak? How many of our enemies have you slain, little brother? Any dwarrow would be honored to have you and if he or she wasn't, then they definitely wouldn't be deserving of you. Do I need to go have a serious 'talk' with Fili? Has he said something to upset you? Did he hurt you?" His voice was practically a growl.

Nori stood, as though he were going to do just that and Ori tugged on his tunic to get him to sit back down. "No, Nori, Fili would never! I just... Dori and Thorin won't let me be with him and last night they were all talking about possible matches for him. He has to marry royalty, right? So... so I'm not good enough for him, and I will never be. I'm still just some kid playing at being an adult, that's all I am to them. Books are the only thing I'm good with, and princes deserve someone with more talent than I've got. They need someone who can rule strongly beside them or in their place, someone worthy of the throne, which I'm not. It doesn't matter if we're in love, it doesn't matter if I'm his One and he's mine. I just..."

Ori trailed off and took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "It's not right."

"Ah," he said. "So it's the other adults that need a 'talk'. Don't you worry about a thing, brother." Nori slipped off the desk, pressed a kiss to his forehead, and twisted out of Ori's grasp. He was gone before Ori could ask where he was going.

\---

Nori tried to be quiet as he slipped back into the rooms his small family shared in the Royal Wing, just in case his beautiful niece - thank Mahal for their little blessing - was still down for her nap. His people had said Thorin had come visiting Dori and Balin, and that meant he had the two biggest offenders of Ori's poor feelings right conveniently at hand for a discussion about their actions and possibly some retribution on Ori's teary-eyed behalf. Sure enough, Thorin, Balin, and Dori were in the sitting room. He was surprised to see Dwalin there too, but figured if his favorite-fuck-buddy-who-might-one-day-possibly-be-more-than-that-maybe couldn't handle the sight of Nori _maybe_ committing fratricide and regicide for Ori's sake then they probably couldn't have a future together anyway. At least Dwalin held Arri, which was good, because that would keep him from bearing the brunt of Nori's ire and keep her out of his warpath. Satisfied with this arrangement, he slipped silently back through the secret passage and decided to burst in through the front door instead, since that was probably the last thing they would expect him to do.

All five of them blinked in surprise at his sudden arrival through the proper entrance, though only one of them was utterly adorable about it. Her big eyes were so cute, it wouldn't hurt if he held her for just one-

 _You can hold the baby later_ , Nori reminded himself. Her and Dwalin would still be alive after this mess was dealt with. Well, she would be. If Dwalin jumped in on the wrong side of this, Nori couldn't vouch for his safety or continued existence. Nobody made his baby brother cry (for those HAD to be tear tracks on his baby brother's cheeks) and got away with it.

He turned his eyes back to the guilty parties from last night, casually slipped his thumbs into his knife belt in exactly the right way to make Dwalin tense up, and did not smile. "Hullo!" he greeted with false cheerfulness. "Are we having a good morning? What are you lot up to?"

Thorin caught Dwalin's eye and nodded toward the door. Nori let him go, because there was no need to sully Arri's life with violence this early on if it could be avoided. 

Dori frowned heavily at him. Nori knew he could probably count on one hand the number of times he had seen Nori willingly use the front door since he had first run away all those decades ago. "Nori, what is it? Did you find Ori?"

"Aye," he said, and plucked a knife out of nowhere, twirling it between his fingers because he needed something to fiddle with. "He was where I told you he'd be, but I didn't expect to see him with tear tracks on his face. Do you know he didn't go to bed last night?"

"Dori and I retired early last night, Nori. Surely you didn't miss us leaving the feast to put the baby to bed." Balin eyed the knife warily as he spoke. "What's this about? Has someone hurt Ori?"

Nori grinned, but it was all teeth and threats. "You lot will butt out of his and Fili's love life," he both explained and demanded.

Dori and Thorin rolled their eyes and made to protest, but Nori waved the knife and they fell silent. "They are both adults, perfectly old enough to know what they feel and who they want. Who in Mahal's name are you two to argue if they say they're each other's Ones?" he growled at them. Dori tried to argue again, but Nori shook his head and cut him off.

"Do you know what he told me? He thinks he's not good enough for Fili. He thinks he's just a low-born scribe, and that means he should have to give up his happiness and dreams just so Fili can marry someone 'better'. Our Ori thinks he's worth less than Fili, who you raised him beside, just because of his blood and I won't have it. I don't give a damn if I wasn't there for most of his life, I'm here now, and I don't like what I'm hearing! You will let them court if that's what they want, and if Fili's asks for his hand you damn well better give your permission, Dori!"

Thorin traded glances with Dori. "Ori's not-”

"Are you completely sure you want to finish that sentence, Thorin?" Nori threatened.

"Ori's not had his coming of age ceremony!" Thorin snapped. 

Nori rolled his eyes. "Oh, and that's my problem to fix, is it? Why the hell hasn't he had it? He's more than old enough!"

There was the sound of the front door opening and closing. The fact that Dwalin went out of his way to make noise was almost as cute as him having the presence of mind to pawn Arri off onto one of her other uncles, and Nori appreciated not being startled while threatening kin and King. The thing he didn't appreciate was the gentle hand on his wrist, urging him to lower the knife, nor did he appreciate the way his arm cooperated with Dwalin's touch. The traitorous limb received a glare, as did his hand when Dwalin gently took the knife away and it let go, then tugged him to the couch opposite his brother to sit down.

Dwalin so wasn't getting any for at least a week.

Nori grumbled threats at him under his breath, but didn't pull away from the thumb tracing circles over the back of his neck. 

Dori was the first to speak. "He refused to do it without you." The tone was gentle but the words stung. 

"Oh, what, so you just decided to never, ever mention this to me? I even sent him a gift for the day he was supposed to do it."

Dwalin rubbed his neck a little harder and ignored the glare Nori gave him for it. Fuck, but that felt good. Insufferable ass. "He wanted you to be there for it, so he put it off," Dwalin explained calmly. "But now that you're here and everything is calm, there's no reason why it can't be done, right, Thorin?"

Nori refused to let his eyes drift shut as Dwalin's thumb found a knot and worked it. He was so in trouble later. Somehow.

Thorin took his queue from Dwalin and nodded. "If he will allow us to perform the ceremony now, then I see no reason why we can't arrange a match between them, right, Dori?"

Dori was glaring at Thorin. Nori knew he didn't want Ori to grow up, and he could see the temptation to refuse written plain on his brother's face... but then Balin leaned in and whispered to Dori, and he _relented_. "Of course," he agreed through gritted teeth, and Nori gazed at Balin in newfound admiration for the statesman. Not once in his entire life had he ever seen anybody talk Dori out of something that serious.

Not even once.

"Everything all right now?" Dwalin asked, his touches lighter now. Nori nearly leaned into it, wanting more than he was getting, but caught himself.

"No," he argued, just to be difficult, but also because he thought it might do Ori some good. "You two will apologize to him and explain why he is every bit as good as the prince he won't stop mooning over, and you will arrange the courtship _today_.”

And then Dwalin was going to be very thoroughly yelled at or... or something. His thumb dipped lower, into muscle that had been sore for a week, and he had to bite back a groan. Maybe he would just hold him hostage as a masseuse for a week. That would show him.

Balin and Dori exchanged a long look, which seemed to be more of a silent argument that Balin effortlessly won, and then Dori turned to look at Thorin who nodded. "Done," they said together.

Reluctantly, Nori stood. "Good. I am going to go get Ori. No one leaves until I get back," he ordered. Dwalin followed him into the hall, and then into the side passage Nori led him to. If any of the guards or spies heard growling and swearing and skin slapping against skin coming from it, they pretended not to notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when I'm stressing and I need to relax I write religious rituals as a way to reconnect with my gods and my spiritual side. To combat my nostalgia and stres due to taking my little sister to pick up her wedding dress, I was researching saining rituals (baby naming ceremonies) and this sort of just... happened.
> 
> Then it got out of hand, and well, thanks for soldiering through that. You're a fabulous trooper and I seriously love you for sticking with me here.
> 
> Right, so. Saining.
> 
> I used two specific rituals out of the bazillion I found because they were the least pantheon-specific and I may honestly write a serious version of this ceremony for when my wife and I have kids, because I really like it. Still, it wouldn't be right to post this without linking to my sources, as the originals I cannabilized, combined, and added to are both lovely, thoughtful, and inspiring rituals in their own rite (doucwhatididthar).
> 
> The first I found is here at [The Sacred Hearth](http://sacredhearth.com/child-naming-ceremony), and the other is from [About.com](http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/paganbabies/ht/Baby_Naming.htm) and was written by Patti Wigington. I got the info on Moonstone [from Sacred Jewels](http://www.sacredjewels.com/Gemstone-Meanings-Sacred-Jewels-s/1118.htm). In my mind, [this](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lf0602-1j8s/TZ15T3SSp5I/AAAAAAAAAYE/lJpTDM-I_rs/s1600/e1-101q.jpg) is the moonstone used in the ritual.
> 
> I was intending for this to be a series of one shots, but I'm not sure that's what will happen. I do have a couple of cute interludes planned, and maybe some sex.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading, please just kill me if it's horrible, omg. I only put my whole day and part of last night into this chapter.


	3. Amradûnh: The Assassins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori intends to enjoy a peaceful afternoon of babysitting and spying, but things don't go as planned. Excitement, adventure, and quite a bit of fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the chapter title, I've been using a [Neo-Khuzdul dictionary](http://de.scribd.com/doc/98387422/Khuzdul-Dictionary-E-K-v01-JUN12). The word is listed as meaning "(the) death-men" which I am choosing to interpret here as "assassins".

Nori was completely sure there had never been a prettier dwarfling in the entire span of Arda's history. Balin was back at work now that all the ritual ceremonies and proper time off had been observed and Dori had brought Arri to him, claiming that he badly needed a break from her to go run errands and do adult things (which Nori later found out included sex with Balin in his office, ugh). Any excuse to take his gorgeous niece for awhile was just fine by Nori, so he put her in a sling across his chest to keep his arms free and took the gurgling, beard-devouring, babe with him on a walk through the city. 

No one else but the two of them needed to know that he was technically working.

The disguise was perfect. None of his friends or family would ever think to look for him without his signature hair style, and the way he had braided it made it look like Nori had far less hair than they all knew he had. His beard had been braided into a single, long strand, which had then been thrown over his shoulder to keep it away from grasping fingers, that drooling mouth, and any projectile vomit she cared to aim at him today (and at least he wasn't poor Bofur. Nori had only ended up with a slightly milky beard that day. He got off light compared to his best friend).

There was a merchant in the market Nori was meant to be keeping an eye on, and settled on a low bench where he had a perfect view of the stall, but the vendor wouldn't be able to see him clearly. 

It was the perfect setup, really.

Or it was until he looked down to discover his lovely little lady was awake. She gurgled at him, and Nori all but melted as he looked into her eyes, instantly distracted by the perfect little being in his arms. "Hello, lovely," he murmured to her. "I could have sworn your Ma said he'd just gotten you to sleep. You're not supposed to be awake already, silly girl." He kissed her cheek and pressed his finger into her palm. Her grip was impressive.

"Feels like you've got his strength in you though," he told her. "That's a fine grip you have, my dear."

Nori thought he felt someone watching him, so he glanced up and looked around. His mark was still plying his wares, blissfully unaware that Nori was on to him, so that wasn't it. The sellers near him were all too busy to notice him... but his big, hulking guardsman loitering about in plainclothes was. Nori groaned as Dwalin approached, and got up and headed for the exit so his target wouldn't see them talking. It wouldn't do to have him recognize Nori as having been with a guard earlier. He slipped into a secret passage with ease, cooing to Arri all the while and knowing that Dwalin would follow him in. 

"What are you doing in disguise with our niece, staking out our counterfeiting friend?" Dwalin asked. He snaked a hand around Nori's waist and he gave Nori's hair and beard a horrified look. "And what did you do to your hair?"

Nori gave Dwalin a theatrical pout at the implication that he had been doing anything dangerous with their niece in his arms. "It's practical - easier to clean baby puke out of it this way." The big warrior tugged at his beard and Nori swatted his hand away with a scowl. "I was just observing him. I wasn't going to make a move with Arri in my-"

A noise from down the passage caught his attention and he trailed off abruptly. He and Dwalin shared a glance in the dark and Nori flicked his fingers at his lover. _Footsteps._ They both listened for a minute. The noise seemed to be both recede from and advance toward their position. 

_Two coming, three going,_ Nori decided after a moment, and Dwalin nodded in agreement.

 _Take Arri, go fast,_ Dwalin ordered, and Nori shook his head. He knew these hidden passages better than Dwalin did, having spent the better part of the last several months mapping them and checking their integrity. If anybody had a chance of catching up to the intruders and figuring out their destination, he did. 

His lover gave him an exasperated look. Nori kissed his cheek. _Stay here. I handle. Come after quietly when victorious._

He didn't give Dwalin the chance to argue before he vanished into the shadows. Nori wrapped his left arm tighter around the sling holding his precious niece and flicked a knife out of his sleeve. It was no trouble at all for him to slide around their would-be assassin's in the dark and knock them out. Arri stayed quiet in his arms the whole time he and Dwalin tied the intruders up several dozen feet from each other down the passage. Nori locked off the entrance to it to keep their backs clear and led the way after the footsteps.

This passage didn't have many outlets and once they were past the next to last possible exit a sinking feeling of dread settled in his stomach. He tugged Dwalin back, doubling silently to the exit they had just passed. Warily, mindful of the baby in his arms, Nori peeked around the tapestry. The coast was clear. He tugged Dwalin out behind him and took off running, clutching Arri tightly to his chest. "Call the guard to the council room!" he ordered. Dwalin tried to protest, and Nori spun on him with a glare. "It's the only other exit from this tunnel. Do it now, Fundinson!"

Arri contentedly clung to his finger as he raced through the corridors, eventually stumbling over Bifur, Bofur, and Balin and dragging them along in his wake at a brutal pace.

"Just where do you think you're running off to like this with my daughter?" Balin demanded.

"Assassins," Nori panted. "Thorin. Got to beat them."

Ignoring the cries form his friends for him to stop and explain and relinquish Arri, Nori kept track in his head of the way the tunnel twisted and turned, compared it to their pace, and pulled them up short at the council doors. An ear to the keyhole told him that only normal, boring things were happening in there, so they must be okay for time. Nori pulled the sling from his shoulders, pressed Arri into her Da's arms, and put on a perfectly calm face as Dwalin and his guards caught up to them.

"What's the plan?" he asked.

"We surround him and drag him out, kicking and screaming if we must. Follow my lead. Bofur and I will go in on this side, you and Bifur take the left." Nori pushed open the door, paused to bow in the entrance, and then boldly approached Thorin from the right, Bofur at his side, Dwalin and Bifur moving in tandem with them.

The dwarrows at the table all gave him incredulous looks for the rudeness of the interruption, Thorin included. Nori didn't give any of them time to object or try to throw them out."My King, we seek a private audience with you. Immediately."

Two of the advisors glanced at each other, then at the tapestry right behind Thorin's chair. It was the smallest of gestures, but it didn't escape Nori's notice. He subtly placed himself between Thorin and the three assassin's likely nearly in place behind him even as he subtly motioned for Dwalin to take a place behind the two likely traitors. 

"I'm in the middle of a meeting," Thorin said, giving Nori a rather confused and angry look. Did he have to pick today of all days to be slow to catch on? Nori met Bofur's eyes and they traded an exasperated look. They really needed to invent some sort of code for situations like these, and he made a mental note to demand it later, and maybe a budget for hiring and training underlings after this. 

" _Now_ , Your Majesty. It's about your nephews."

Thorin opened up his mouth to argue, and Nori subtly kicked his chair. "I think it's best if you come see for yourself."

The kick seem to get through to him as Nori had hoped it would, seeking to remind him of the incident with the trolls. "Fine," he acquiesced at last. "Please, excuse me for a moment." His advisors nodded and Nori almost breathed a sigh of relief, daring to hope they might get out of this without any injuries... and then the advisors and two of the guards lunged for Thorin and their were a few long moments of chaos as the three assassin's slid out of hiding. Nori pressed one of his long knives into Thorin's hands, and the King helped to clear the room of enemies that much faster.

Eight bodies lay on the floor, all dead when Nori checked them. Dwalin split up the men that hadn't been traitors, sending Bofur and four others to fetch the two they had left at the end of the passage, the rest to secure the room. Balin entered when Bifur waved him in, clutching Arri to him tightly.

"What in Mahal's name just happened?" he demanded of Nori.

"I'd like answers as well," Thorin growled. Nori and Dwalin glanced at each other, and Nori left the explaining to Dwalin as he continued his search of the bodies, piping in here and there to correct him or to interject his own opinions. 

None of the traitors had been carrying anything suspicious, no markings of a particular group, clan, or family, and he swore softly. That would make his job a little harder to do. As much as he had wanted to do this job on his own, there was no way he could ferret them out and protect everyone without underlings.

Ugh.

\---

Once the bodies had been moved and Thorin secreted away somewhere safer, Nori went back to Balin to check on his niece. Arri was asleep on his shoulder while Balin read over some fairly atrocious-looking documents containing long strings of numbers. Nori thought it looked like accounting sheets, and they were suddenly no longer of any interest to him. 

He materialized beside Balin's desk, delighting in managing to startle him slightly. Balin had always been hard to sneak up on."How is she?" he asked quietly.

"Unhurt," Balin said, giving him a cool look. Well, it was better than what Dori was going to do to him later when he found out that Nori had foiled an assassination attempt on Thorin while babysitting. 

"Praise Mahal," he murmured appropriately, and made himself comfortable on a corner of Balin's desk. It earned him a glare, but Nori didn't move. "You do know I would never, ever, ever do anything to hurt her, right? I've fallen terribly in love with your beautiful daughter and when she comes of age I'll happily murder, maim, or threaten any potential suitors you direct me to."

Balin sighed and patted her back as she stirred slightly in her sleep. "And yet you still ended up putting her into danger, but Dwalin assured me that you were very careful with her, even though he was ready to strangle you for not backing out with her and leaving it to him."

Nori rolled his eyes. "I've had to defend Ori's life as a babe before. This wasn't much different from that. Dwalin seems to forget that I know where the passages go and he doesn't. How was I supposed to do anything to help if I let him try to figure it out on his own? He might have held his own against the assassins if they didn't have the jump on him, but he might not have been in time to save Thorin's life from the councilmen or the guards on their payroll."

The dwarrow that had knocked up his older brother sighed. "I'm not saying you didn't have the right of it, but you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I'd promise not to let it happen again, but I can hardly convince assassins to work around my schedule. 'Ah, yes, I'm free tomorrow afternoon, if you'd like to attempt to murder King Thorin before supper.' 'Oh, yes, that's perfect, we'll try then.'" Balin chuckled at Nori's voices, and Nori relaxed a little when he did, pretty sure now Balin wasn't about to murder him or ban him from babysitting.

"You make a fine point, laddie. I suppose I should go talk to Dori before he hears what happened and tries to gut you." Arri was pressed back into Nori's arms as Balin stood. "Here. She doesn't need to listen to Dori scream bloody murder at me, and holding her will keep you safe from his wrath."

Nori took the sleeping infant, unable to help the warm smile on his face at the sight of her. Why had he wanted to give all this up with Ori? He had been a right fool back then. "We'll just go hide in Dwalin's room until you've got Dori calmed down," he said and stood.

"Nori," Balin called as he opened the door.

The Spymaster of Erebor stopped and looked over his shoulder.

The old dwarrow straightened and gave him a kind smile. "I do trust you with her. Don't ever make me regret that."

Nori looked down at Arri, then back up to Balin. "I won't," he promised, and slipped out the door. 

Dwalin's rooms were close by, one benefit of all of them being housed in the Royal Wing. The door was locked though, so Nori had to shift his grip on his niece to pick the lock. Even with an infant in his arms it only took him mere seconds to get the door opened, and then he was innocently pushing his way inside the familiar chambers, after having locked the door behind them.

Arri was still asleep, but after the afternoon they'd had Nori really didn't want to put her down; instead, he picked up a book Dwalin had lying about and settled into Dwalin's favorite chair with her, knowing it would it make his favorite Captain of the Kingsguard bristle to see that Nori had let himself in and stolen his chair. She stirred a little as he settled, opening those big blue eyes he was so in love with to stare at him, so Nori opened the book and read to her. It wasn't a particularly interesting read though, and they were both pretty tired, so he wasn't all that surprised when they both dropped off to sleep after only a few minutes.

And if Dwalin found anything particularly adorable about the sight that greeted him when he came back to his rooms and found them both asleep by the fire, he was smart enough to just drape a blanket over the pair of them and keep his mouth shut.


	4. Sankhîm: The Perfect Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori gets to become an adult, then Thorin and Bofur get nostalgic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally decided that I'm going with movie ages, at least for Thorin being younger than the Fundinsons, and Ori being the baby. Other than that I plan to take liberties with ages and timelines because honestly? This is just for fun, I'm not doing any extra research I don't want to do. 
> 
> This chapter is also pure fluff, as an apology for chapters 5 & 6 of Not in Gold.
> 
> WARNING: Ritual piercings are briefly mentioned, though not discussed in detail except to say where they went. I can just easily see the dwarves wanting to decorate, I guess? I don't think I mentioned it, and I'm far to lazy to go back and edit it right now, but Ori's are just plain gold loops at the moment, because why put in something more expensive or fancy or heavy until it's healed?

If you asked Ori a decade ago if he ever thought he would be marrying Prince Fili, he would have chuckled nervously at the thought, turned red, and made an excuse to leave the conversation and quite possible the room and maybe even then the same building. As much as he had wanted it, that had always been so far outside the realm of possibilities that it sort of became a nervous joke for him to make. You want that manuscript tonight? Right, and I'm going to marry Thorin's heir in the morning. Dori learn how to cook well? I'll marry Fili before that happens!

And yet for all his doubting and all his joking, it was finally going to happen. Thanks to Nori's single-minded insistence a match had been struck between them, a betrothal made when the boys decided they were willing to just skip the courtship. There wasn't much point in a lengthy courtship when they'd known each other Ori's whole life.

There were just a few hurdles to jump first, like all this excess tutoring with Balin (which Ori didn't mind in the slightest, even if trade policy wasn't that fascinating a subject and he didn't really care what the proper way to walk or bow were), having to be fitted for a fancy new wardrobe, and undergoing his rite of passage into adulthood so the betrothal could be made official and announced. There were worse things he could be going through though (Goblin Town came to mind) so he didn't really mind too much.

He spent the week before the ritual in Bilbo's unused rooms since he was on his way to return to the Shire, needing some peace and quiet to study the lore he would be tested on by Thorin. It wasn't that he didn't have his own space at home with a door he could lock (but Dori got mad at him for it). It wasn't that his family was overbearing and annoying (though they were). It wasn't even the crying at night, now that Arri was sleeping better.

She was just too tempting. Now that she was a little bit older she was a bit more fun. Ori enjoyed watching her small responses to the faces they all made at her and the sounds of her beginning to coo as she tried to talk back. Bilbo's rooms were blessedly free of cute babies distracting their uncles when they had serious work to do. At least this way Arri could have more time to throw up on the rest of the family, and Ori was spared any diaper changes as he worked on his studies.

In the evenings, when he had finally escaped councilors, petitioners, and the family, Thorin would sneak down to Bilbo's rooms to sit and work with Ori. There was a lot he needed to know, and Thorin was more than content to spend some time in front of the fire, quietly testing Ori's knowledge of their lore and traditions, then asking more open-ended questions to test his interpretations and understanding.

Learning was more than memorizing, he reminded Ori daily. Knowledge was knowing your facts, but when you truly learned them, you could intelligently apply those facts and theories to actual situations.

Whenever Ori needed a break from the lore, Thorin went over the ritual with him, drilling it into his head what he would need to do and say for each phase of it. He was also happy to answer Ori's questions about other rituals. There was fuss about explaining why some rituals called for no braids (all were equal in welcoming a new member to the family, or in grieving for a loved one, or before Mahal for judgement). The time they passed together was pleasant, and Ori slowly grew more relaxed around him. By the day of his rite, he was pretty calm with Thorin, feeling much more secure in being guided into adulthood by him.

That didn't exactly stop him from having stage fright when the next new moon came and it was time.

It was just family in the forge, minus Arri, who was staying with a friend of Dwalin's for this portion of the celebrations. Bofur, Dwalin, Balin, and Fili each stood before an anvil, hammering them in sync. The group chanted around them, calling to Mahal, his brothers joining in but also watching Ori with pride. Only he and Thorin were in the center of the circle, before the altar, and facing each other. Every dwarf in the room was naked, their hair and beards long and free (and Ori now knew that it was because they were welcoming him as an adult).

He tried hard not to fidget.

Thorin lifted a hand and the hammering and chanting abruptly ceased. Ori shivered at the change in atmosphere. "We are here today before Mahal to welcome Ori, son of Narri, into our circle of brothers as an adult. He has mastered his craft, his language, and his lore. As proof of his devotion and maturity, he will be put to the seven questions, brave the forge fires, and be anointed with Mahal's blessing in this sacred space."

There was another clang of the hammers against the anvils, and then silence. Thorin spoke the questions to Ori, who answered them briefly as he had been instructed by Thorin the previous night. His voice was steady and sure, his answers correct. The hammers picked up the against the anvils again, and Thorin turned to nod to Gloin. Together with Bofur they pulled hot coals from the forge, and set them together in a path along the floor. Ori swallowed nervously, even though Thorin had taught him the trick of it and made sure to have him practice it in advance of the rituals. Thorin guided him to the start of the path and kept a hand on Ori's shoulder. 

"Forged in heat, you were made a child. Forged through heat again, you will become an adult." Thorin let go of him, gave him a comforting smile, and stepped away. From where he was standing Ori could see his beloved now, and Fili's smile held so much faith in him that Ori was able to do exactly as he had been taught. 

Thorin brought Ori back over to the center anvil after the successful walk across the forge coals, fighting to keep the proud smile off his face. The hammers stopped as Thorin picked up a cup of ale from the table in his left hand. With his right hand he dipped his index finger into the cup and painted the hammer on Ori's forehead. "Mahal bless this lad, grown to adulthood in your image. May he use his mind for good, may his eyes not lose sight of the path you have created for him. May only good things pass from his lips, may his creations be full of heart, his belly full, his loins fruitful."

As he spoke each body part Thorin dipped his finger back into the cup. Ori blush at the touch of Thorin's thumb on his flaccid cockhead. Done, he pushed the cup into Ori's hands. "Drink, and you shall receive the marks of adulthood." 

Ori knew what was coming, and he knew he was meant to chug the ale, so he did. 

"Who here speaks for Ori, and will witness these marks?" Thorin motioned for Balin to come forward. He had done this for most of them, and had the steadier hand. 

Dori, Nori, and Fili stepped forward, Fili for Ori to lean against, and a brother for each of his hands. Balin picked up his tools while the rest of them chanted and hammered away, and when the ritual was done and all but his brothers had left the room, Ori had to endure Oín examining the two new piercings that adorned his body: one through his left nipple, which matched the one on the right he had been given for his first kill, and the other through his cockhead. When that healed he would get his next one a bit under the glans, a mark of engagement. Oín pronounced them clean, gave Ori proper instructions on the care of them, and then left Ori and his brothers on their own in the forge.

"We are so proud of you, sweetling," Dori murmured to him. He pulled Ori close to him and pressed a tear-stained cheek to his. "You've grown up so well, all those muscles and brains." This time when he pulled away, he pressed his forehead to Ori's instead of giving it the customary kiss he would have received yesterday. Now he was an adult, and that meant different demonstrations of affection had to be relearned by them all.

Nori was next, but he didn't trust himself to talk; instead, he pressed his forehead to Ori's for a long time and then pulled him into a hug that lasted a good long while for a hug before he tugged Dori into it. The three of them clung together, not speaking, just feeling and breathing, and perhaps crying a little.

\---

The feasting hall was full of life that night, which had somehow become even more eventful after all the toasts had been given to Ori and most of the guests were completely smashed. It was good party, and Ori was clearly enjoying himself. At the moment he sat at Fili's side, Kili on his other side, the three of them laughing uproariously at a joke Nori was telling them. Thorin watched them from his seat a little further down with a small, fond smile. All that was left for him was to do this for Gimli in a few summers and their little collection of boys would all be grown. Time had flown by so quickly. 

Bofur sat down next to him, and Thorin turned to greet him with a small smile and a nod before he turned his attention back to the lads. "They grow so fast," Bofur said, stealing the words right from Thorin's mouth.

"Aye," he agreed, and took another slow sip of ale. Part of the job of being king meant that he couldn't get completely trashed like the rest of the dwarves in his hall. He had to maintain some measure of control. "Look at them. I held every one of them when they were born, and now Gimli's the only one left to go through it. I remember them being so small they couldn't support their own heads and now look at them."

"If they have much more ale they still won't be able to support their own heads," Bofur joked, just to see if he could get a smile out of his King, who was clearly getting more lost in memories than in drink.

Maybe not every dwarf was drunk. Bofur smelled of ale, but his eyes were clear when Thorin met them. He gave Thorin a warm, understanding smile, and it comforted him. Perhaps he wasn't the only one feeling nostalgic tonight. "I remember the night I met you. Their Da invited me in for a nightcap and Fili threw up right in your beard when you came into the kitchen to greet us. Not the grandest of entrances you've ever made," Bofur teased.

"I remember that," Thorin muttered. "And I remember you running to Dis for help when you couldn't figure out how to change your eldest niece's diaper. And the time Kili peed on you. And that one time when he puked straight into your mouth, and -”

Bofur laughed and held his hands up in surrender, drawing the smallest of chuckles from Thorin. "All right, all right, you win," he admitted. "I've got the honor of having been humiliated most often by small children, but I'm willing to bet that's because you didn't spend so much time around Bombur's girls as I had to. Girls are evil little monsters, or at least his are. I didn't think any child under thirty could properly throw together a creative threat or inventive revenge, but they've all proved me wrong."

Thorin had heard about some of those instances. He chuckled. "I bet they've all grown so much now."

"I hope not. They were trouble enough to deal with when they couldn't reach the counters. I don't want them having any kind of height, especially not if it means them growing up." Bofur watched the boys with a far away look in his eyes.

Thorin shifted slightly in his seat as his back began to complain of stiffness, and he stood and stretched. "I think I'll go for a walk. Care to join me?"

Bofur finished his ale and set the mug back down. "Aye, I think I will."

They stood together and left the dining hall, managing after only a couple of turns to ditch Thorin's personal guards by promising to remain within the royal wing. Left to their own devices, the talk quickly turned back to something close to their earlier conversation at the table.

"I can hardly believe they're to be wedded when Lady Dis arrives," Bofur commented. "It just seems like they should still be dogging our steps, begging for stories and toys and rides on our shoulders."

"And one day they'll have children of their own. It makes me feel very old to think about. I have watched them live their entire lives, and soon I will be watching their children begin theirs, yet I have none of my own."

Bofur gave him a kind smile. "Have you ever thought about them?" he asked.

"Aside from my nephews?" Thorin shook his head. "I have never given it serious thought. Always I would tell myself that I could put it off until later. There was never a right time for it. There were always too many mouths to feed and not enough food to go around, or I was too busy trying to get us all settled, or find work, or do my job, or raise my nephews. I would not refuse Mahal's blessing if it came to me, but I've got my heir already." He gave Bofur a smile. "But what about you? Surely Bombur's beautiful girls made you consider it."

"Yes and no. When they were all newborns and so small and precious, I wanted one myself. Then they hit fifteen or sixteen and I changed my mind every time. If his were awful rascals and he's the well-behaved child, think what mine would be like!" They both laughed at that, Thorin more with his eyes than any noise, but it warmed Bofur's heart all the same to see some levity in his friend for a change.

Leaving with Bofur had been a good decision, Thorin decided. He had not had a chance to enjoy his companionship alone in a good long while. "All joking aside," Bofur continued, "I think I just never found the right person back home. I could carry them myself if I wanted to, but I've always imagined there would be someone else there to love the lad or lass just as much as I would."

"Is it still something you want?" Thorin asked softly. He was tipsy and more than a little curious now. He could carry as well if he wished, but the thought of waiting for someone who was right was... interesting. Why wait for another when you could do something on your own? Still, the idea had appeal.

A shrug gave Thorin the general gist of what the answer would be. "I wouldn't mind it if it happened, but I'm not going to sit around pining for it like some human maiden. If it happens, it happens, and I'll be damn grateful and pleased, but in the meantime, there are other things I need to do."

A smile twitched up the corners of Thorin's lips. "Such as?"

Bofur gave him an incredulous look, as though he honestly expected Thorin to just know by now. "Getting you someplace where you can get properly soused like the rest of us, of course! It's only fair, as you're the one what conducted the ceremony. Come back to my room."

"But what if some-“

A firm hand gripped his elbow and tugged him along. "No, none of that. If something happens, Balin is still sober enough to handle it. Even kings need to relax now and then. If you don't take a break you'll work yourself to death, and none of us'll stand for it."

Thorin shook his head. "Duty dictates-”

"And what did your duty ever do you for your health, eh? I won't take no for an answer. You're getting drunk enough to relax properly and that's final."

"Fine," he relented with a sigh, "but if there are any horrible consequences they're all on your head."

"If it gets you to relax again for a night, I think I'll survive." He tugged Thorin into his rooms and into his cups, and all was peaceful for a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was an interview somewhere where Bombur's actor mentioned him having like 14 kids.


	5. Ze: One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin and Bofur find their Ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to resist for a slow build, but I needed at least semi-instant gratification. This is a direct continuation from the last chapter and is pure fluff and good feels.

Dawn found the two of them curled up in front of the dying fire, on the floor. Bofur's hat had somehow ended up on top of Thorin's left foot and he had no idea where his shirt had gone or why Bofur was using his own shirt as a pillow. Yet despite the pounding headache that had woken him to begin with Thorin felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. He stretched and felt soreness there, his back no longer used to having to sleep on the cold, hard ground after more than a year in his nice, soft bed. Thorin kicked lightly at Bofur, nudging him with the foot that had Bofur's hat draped over it just as a knock came at the door.

They both let out groans of protest at the sound and Thorin was incredibly thankful that today was his rest day. If he had to listen to any of his advisors drone on in this condition he would probably end up having the lot of them put to death. The knock came again, this time a little louder with a bit of an evil chuckle to it.

"Who is it?" Thorin growled in the general direction of the door.

"Balin," came the answer that sounded far too amused for Thorin's liking. He attempted to sit up to get to the door, but decided very quickly not to bother trying when he his head swam and his stomach threatened him with something not at all dignified.

"Come in," he whisper-growled at the door.

"But be quiet!" his companion in misery pleaded softly. Bofur rolled onto his stomach and pretended he was dead as the door opened and his top advisor entered, Arri in his arms. Balin cast one look over the pair of them and covered a laugh with his hand. He poked his head back into the hall to call for a pair of hangover remedies and then sat down on the sofa Thorin was sure the two of them had started out on.

Everything after the fifth drink he'd had in his chambers with Bofur was all a bit fuzzy. He remembered being too warm and taking his socks and tunic off. He dimly remembered his feet getting cold later and Bofur flopping his hat over one because neither of them could be bothered to reach for his socks. What had happened beyond that?

"I don't suppose you remember that you offered to watch Arri today, do you, laddie?" Balin offered Thorin his free hand, and he accepted the help to sit up. His head throbbed and his mouth was so dry. A servant brought in two cups of tea quickly, as though she had known in advance it would be required, much to Thorin's dislike. The tea was some blend Dori had concocted ages ago when Nori had first started coming home in the wee hours of the morning, three sheets to the wind with not a care in the world. It smelled bad and somehow tasted worse, probably intentionally made that way as a punishment to the hungover.

The tea worked, though, and he knew it from experience, so he leaned against the sofa and sipped at it slowly. After a few minutes of Balin chuckling to himself at the state of them Thorin felt well enough to lean forward enough to pluck the hat off his foot and launch it at its owner. There was a groan of protest, but he pulled himself into a sitting position at Thorin's side and accepted the tea offered to him anyway.

Balin let them sit in silence until they were done with the tea and seemed capable of moving without dying again. "Now then. Are you both feeling better?" he asked.

That they were capable of nodding in response was a good sign. Balin suppressed another laugh at their expense. "Do you still feel capable of minding Arri for the day?"

"Aye," Thorin said after a moment's thought. It wasn't like she was a fussy baby. He'd heard her fuss just long enough to let her parents know she was upset about something and was all coos and the very beginnings of a smile when she wasn't asleep.

"Good," Balin said, and handed her over. "Dori, Ori, and I should be back from Dale before nightfall. She's just been fed and shouldn't need any milk again for another three hours. Mind you don't bounce her too much, she's had a wee bit of an upset tummy the last couple of days."

Thorin made a face. That he would definitely remember. He had been puked on enough when his nephews were little to know to exercise caution. "Thank you for the warning," he said as Balin clapped him on the shoulder and stood. Bofur and Thorin bid him farewell, then turned to look at each other once the doors were closed.

Bofur pulled his hat off his head and took a careful whiff that had him making faces. "Did this end up on your foot last night or was that a dream?"

"You were concerned about my feet being too cold, if my memory serves. You thought I was going to catch my death?" Thorin wasn't sure. Bofur shrugged and didn't seem that concerned about why it had happened. His hat he chucked into the armchair across the way and reached up to undo his braids that were in sore need of fixing.

The hair was fairly tangled, and Thorin stood to go fetch his own comb. He settled on the sofa behind Bofur, and handed Arri off to him. She looked up at Bofur with her beautiful blue eyes and he stopped his protest instantly. "My, but you are the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. Look at those eyes," he murmured. 

Thorin drew his fingers and the comb through Bofur's hair, smiling slightly over the peacefulness of the scene and the joy that being close to this particular dwarrow brought. Carefully he worked through the tangles, then separated Bofur's alluringly dark hair into sections before braiding it into his customary braids. Bofur leaned into his touch more often than not, but Thorin was amused to see that it barely distracted him from cooing at the infant in his arms. He had slipped a finger into Arri's grip and didn't seem to mind being slightly slobbered on as she put it in her mouth.

As he finished, Thorin decided that Bofur looked good like that, as though holding a baby came perfectly naturally to him and he hadn't had to awkwardly learn the skill as Thorin had. Bofur did have all those nieces, and Thorin knew he was a favorite babysitter for his brother to call when help was needed. The comb was set aside so he could unclasp his own braids, which likely looked a fright. He set the beads on the couch next to the comb and worked his fingers through his hair first, undoing the braids.

Or at least, that head been his intention until Bofur turned and stopped him by plopping Arri in his lap as a distraction. Thorin looked down at her - and could hardly resist the very beginnings of a smile when she cooed at him - and then looked up at Bofur to ask what he was doing when his friend's hands batted his own away from his hair. Bofur stood and moved behind the sofa, bending to pick up the comb.

"What did I say about you relaxing?" he scolded lightly. Thorin opened his mouth to protest through slightly injured pride that he could manage his own hair, thank you, but Bofur beat him to the punch. He pressed his fingertips into Thorin's scalp, lightly massaging to shut him up. 

It worked too. Thorin let out a low groan at the mostly foreign sensation, but his protest died on his tongue. "Now that's better," Bofur muttered. "Honestly, you're just as bad as Dori, always giving, giving, giving, never letting anybody fuss over you for a change. You probably deserved to be pampered more than the rest of us, what with those crazy hours you work, but getting you to give in is a right pain in the ass!"

"You're lucky she's not old enough to understand you," Thorin said to Bofur. "Dori would give you a beating for swearing in her most esteemed presence."

Another gurgling coo came from the baby as Arri stared at his face. "That's right," Thorin murmured to her. "Mother Dori would kill both of us if he'd heard that. We can't be sullying your adorable ears, can we?"

"Like she'll remember it in five minutes," Bofur laughed, and picked up the comb. Thorin played with her as Bofur worked, trying to get a smile out of her. She stuffed her fist in her mouth instead and dozed off, something Thorin was leaning toward doing himself. The younger dwarrow's hands felt so good, so _right_ somehow, in his hair. It had been a very long time since he had permitted anyone to touch him like this, and his body yearned for Bofur's comforting touch. He let himself close his eyes and bask in the sensations, trusting Bofur not to tell a soul this had passed between them. Here, in his rooms with a friend, he was safe enough to drop his guard slightly. No one would be expecting anything of him until tomorrow, no one would be bursting in and judging him for the way the touch of Bofur's fingers on the back of his neck made him shiver.

It was exactly what he had needed, and as arousing as the odd touch here or there was, the act of it all was more relaxing than erotic. As he drifted off to sleep, Thorin resolved to take Bofur's council more often, and to definitely drag him home for drinks on a regular basis, if this was to be the result.

\---

Thorin woke up on his back on the couch to the familiar feeling of an infant asleep on his chest and a blanket draped over them both. He turned his head to his left to look for Bofur and found him reviewing documents in his armchair, the hat in its proper place atop his head once again. Under the mountain there were no windows in any of the private chambers, and so Bofur was reading by fire and candlelight. 

The Administrator of the Royal Mines was too distracted to notice yet that Thorin was no longer sleeping, and he took the opportunity to study the way the firelight glinted off Bofur's skin and darkened his hair by contrast. Tired enough still to see nothing wrong with outright admiring him, Thorin studied the way the shadows made Bofur look, how they drew attention to just the right parts of his handsome face, for once not lit with a smile. Seeing a serious expression on his ever-smiling face was always a slight surprise to Thorin, so used to only seeing that look in battle or in serious discussion. It was different, but not necessarily unpleasant to look at. The serious expression made Bofur look closer to Thorin's age, which wasn't a bad thing at all. It was attractive in its own way, though he still preferred the smile.

"What are you reading that has brought such a dour look to your face?" Thorin asked softly. He placed a hand on Arri's back so he could safely shift into a more comfortable position without disturbing her.

"Reports from the scouts I sent into the mines a few days ago. There are still quite a few unsafe passages that need a lot of work," Bofur answered. There was a small smile on his face as he looked over at Thorin and the baby. "But that's news for you for tomorrow. I haven't finished reading or sorting through all of it yet and you're supposed to be butting out of official business for one day out of the week, remember?"

Thorin chuckled. "You all keep reminding me, yes. Let's discuss something not at all official then."

Bofur raised an eyebrow at him and set the reports down on the low table between the sofa and the armchair. "What did you have in mind? It's nearly lunch. I hope you're thinking about eating." Thorin rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond -

A small fussing sound came from his chest and Thorin moved a little again to free his right arm so he could rub her back in slow soothing circles. "Could you hand me one of her burp clothes, just in case?" he asked, not particularly wanting to be puked on.

It was passed to him, and Thorin gently tucked it under her before returning his attention to Bofur. "You stayed," he said simply. It wasn't a big deal, nor was he at all upset about it. The company had been pleasant and it was nice not to wake up alone with a dwarrow Thorin knew for some time now he was more than just fond of.

"Is it a problem?" Bofur asked in a tone that told Thorin he knew it wasn't.

"No. I was just curious."

Bofur studied him for a moment, clearly considering his answer. Thorin didn't begrudge him the time, content to wait patiently and secretly enjoy having the weight of the baby on him. "You know, I don't know," Bofur finally responded. "I have plenty of other things I ought to be doing and likely I have subordinates worrying because they can't find me, but I can't be bothered to care. I just feel so... relaxed, I suppose. Content might be the better word."

The words both relieved and warmed Thorin in a way he hadn't felt since before Erebor fell and he'd been courting a distant cousin he quite fancied. The part of him that could enjoy hearing someone way they were perfectly content to just be in his presence was something he thought had died long ago. It was good to hear Bofur felt the same. It was something less to have to wonder about, if this contented feeling was one-sided and imagined, or it it was mutual and very much real.

"You didn't throw me out," Bofur pointed out when Thorin was slow to respond. He got a small smile out of his King for it, and Thorin shrugged slightly.

"I suppose that is because I feel the same. Content is a good word for it. Your presence soothes me." It was a strange thing to him, learning to be open about his feelings, but now that he had Erebor back and had begun healing from his deep, emotional wounds, the trick of it had started to come to him. The key for himself wasn't to feel obliged to reveal more than he was comfortable with, so Thorin left his own feelings at that and just let himself enjoy Bofur's reaction.

The slightly gaping mouth revealed to Thorin that he had managed to catch Bofur off guard with his admission, and he politely hid his amusement. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Gathering his wits about his again, Bofur swallowed - somewhat nervously, Thorin happily noted for what that implied - and nodded. "I'm glad to hear it," he responded, though his voice shook slightly. 

Thorin sat up carefully, not wanted to disturb his small charge, and laid her on a blanket on the floor where she would be safe from falling off the sofa. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and looked into Bofur's eyes. "As am I," he said softly. 

Denying that he was attracted to Bofur was pointless now when he was certain that Bofur wanted him as well. All of the signs of their compatibility pointed to something he had read about before - had heard about often enough from Gloin - but had never experienced. Neither he nor Bofur had on gloves, and the touch of hand on hand ought to tell Thorin what he needed to know, or so all the books and housewives said. He reached out for Bofur's hand, careful all the while to keep an eye on his face for any signs that Bofur was uncomfortable with it, and clasped his right hand with both of his own.

The sensation he felt was incredible and nearly overwhelming. First it felt like there were hundreds of tiny little bees buzzing over his skin. Next came a chill that went straight down his spine and right to his cock, then an odd sort of warmth that filled him from head to toe, swelling especially in his chest, as though the molten fires of Erebor's forges had somehow been poured directly into his blood.nBofur's eyes filled first with shock, then he seemed to marvel over the feeling as Thorin did. It was awhile before either of them could speak.

"Oh," Bofur said softly. "So that's what it feels like."

"Indeed," Thorin murmured, then smiled just a little, just for him.

It was quite a bit later in his life than he had ever hoped for, but Thorin had finally found his One.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sorry. I was pretty much goaded into it. I had no choice.
> 
> The title means "Blessing", her name means "Beginning".
> 
> The prompt was [this one](http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/5821.html?thread=13569725) which I think I slightly strayed from, oops. Anyway, this isn't meant to be taken 100% seriously.


End file.
